Niblett's Bluff in the War Between the States by Michael Dan Jones

This is the history of General Alfred Mouton's regiment, the 18th Louisiana Infantry, which he led throughout the War for Southern Independence, from Shiloh to Mansfield. Click on image for more information.

Confederate Guards Response Battalion

History of the one of the hardest fighting Louisiana units during the War for Southern Independence.

1st Louisiana Zouaves

This is the story of one of the most unique and famed Louisiana units in the War for Southern Independence, the 1st Louisiana Zouaves . Made up largely of foreigners from many countries, the men wore the gaudy French Zouave uniform and fought with a fierce determination for the new Southern Republic.

Dick Dowling and the Jefferson Davis Guard

This is the story of one of the most famous and celebrated Confederate units. Click on image for details.

Confederate States Rangers of the 10th Louisiana Infantry

Company K in the War for Southern Independence

Lt. Col. King Bryan of Hood's Texas Brigade

Freedom Fighter for Texas and Southern Independence

The Battle of Chickasaw Bayou by Michael Dan Jones

This is a concise history of the Battle of Chickasaw Bayou, Mississippi from December 26-29, 1862. Also covered are the preliminary cavalry raids of generals Earl Van Dorn and Nathan Bedford Forrest. The book contains maps, photographs and illustrations, bibliography and index.

9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry

This is the history of the 9th Battalion Louisiana Infantry which fought at the Battle of Baton Rouge and the Siege of Port Hudson, Louisiana in the War for Southern Independence. The unit took part in the famous charge of Allen's Brigade at Baton Rouge. The men of the unit were fighting in defense of their own home area since most were from East Baton Rouge and nearby parishes. Click on image for more information.

Mouton's Charge at the Battle of Mansfield and the Red River Campaign

This is the story of the famous attack at the Battle of Mansfield, La., April 8, 1864, led by Brig. Gen. Alfred Mouton.

The Vicksburg 28th Louisiana Infantry

Click picture for more information.

The Tiger Rifles: The Making of a Louisiana Legend

The Toughest Fighting Men in the Confederate Army

The Battle of Calcasieu Pass

A history of the May 6, 1864 battle in Southwest Louisiana between two Union gunboats and a diverse group of Confedrates. Click photo for more information.

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Monday, August 17, 2015

On September 8, 1863, the battle of Sabine Pass turned back
one of several Union attempts to invade and occupy part of Texas during the
Civil War.

The U.S. Navy blockaded the Texas coast beginning in the summer of 1861, while
Confederates fortified the major ports. Union interest in Texas and other parts
of the Confederacy west of the Mississippi River resulted primarily from the
need for cotton by northern textile mills and concern about French intervention
in the Mexican civil war. In September 1863, Gen. Nathaniel P. Banks sent 4,000
soldiers by transport from New Orleans under the command of Gen. William B.
Franklin to gain a foothold at Sabine Pass, where the Sabine River flows into
the Gulf of Mexico. A railroad ran from Sabine Pass to Houston and opened the
way into the interior of the state. The Western Gulf Blockading Squadron of the
U. S. Navy sent four gunboats mounting 18 guns to protect the landing of the
transport troops. The Union commander, Lt. Frederick Crocker, formed a plan for
the gunboats to enter the pass and silence the Fort Griffin guns so the troops
could land.

At Sabine Pass, the Davis Guards –– a Confederate Army unit composed of 45
enlisted men, one engineer, and one surgeon, all Irish and all in their 20s or
younger –– manned Fort Griffin, which was constructed by 500 conscripted
slaves. The fort consisted of an earthwork that mounted six cannons, two
24-pounders and four 32-pounders.

The U.S.S Clifton shelled the fort from long range between 6:30 and 7:30 a.m.
on September 8. The Confederates remained under cover because the ship was out
of reach for their cannons. Behind the fort, Confederate officers gathered
reinforcements, although their limited numbers would make resistance difficult
if the federal troops landed.

At 3:40 p.m. the Union gunboats began their advance through the pass, firing on
the fort as they steamed forward. Under the direction of Lt. Dowling, the Confederate
cannoneers emerged to man their guns as the ships came within 1,200 yards. One
cannon in the fort ran off its platform after an early shot, but the
artillerymen fired the remaining five cannons with great accuracy. A shot from
the third or fourth round hit the boiler of the U.S.S. Sachem, which exploded,
killing and wounding many of the crew and leaving the gunboat without power in
the channel. The following ship, the U.S.S. Arizona, could not pass the U.S.S.
Sachem and withdrew from the action. The U.S.S. Clifton, which also carried
several sharpshooters, continued up the channel near the Texas shore until a
shot from the fort cut away its tiller rope. That left the gunboat without the
ability to steer and caused it to run aground, where its crew continued to
exchange fire with the Confederate gunners. Another well-aimed projectile into
the boiler of the U.S.S. Clifton sent steam and smoke through the vessel and
forced the sailors to abandon ship. The U.S.S. Granite City also turned back,
thus ending the federal assault.

The Davis Guards fired their cannons 107 times in 35 minutes of action, a rate
of less than two minutes per shot, which ranked as far more rapid than the
standard for heavy artillery. The Confederates captured 350 Union prisoners and
two gunboats. Gen. Franklin and the Union forces turned back to New Orleans,
although Union troops occupied the Texas coast from Brownsville to Matagorda
Bay later that fall. The Confederates, who suffered no casualties during the
battle, received the gratitude of the Confederate Congress for their victory.
Careful fortification, range marking and artillery practice had produced a
successful defense of Sabine Pass.